Abducted
by Jedediah
Summary: There was an old story about the "White Van Gang" kidnapping children and eating their internal organs. Everyone thought it was just a myth until one day Ryoma becomes a hostage after saving Sakuno. With only a few clues left behind, the tennis club teams up with the police to rescue Ryoma before the so-called cannibalism myth proves itself to be true.
1. Chapter 1

"There has been revolving news lately about a white van who is on the loose in the cities where they spot a children, especially girls, and abduct them. Speculations say that those men eats their hostages' internal organs. But this is just an old story but somehow the said story circulated fast and now people are panicking if this is true. A neighbor told the police that he saw a scene like that one night when he was walking home. This story is actually an old myth a long time ago to scare kids especially when they always go out at night. But the said witness suddenly told the police that he saw a white van chase a girl last night. Are these kidnappers really cannibals? Police are now on the move on investigating and protecting the city from them. They warned not to leave your kids alone, day or night."

The sound of a toothpaste commercial started as the news show ended.

"That is terrible news! What kind of people would do that, I mean, that's disgusting!" Nanako shuddered in her seat beside Ryoma. She watched him mindlessly eating his japanese breakfast and not paying any attention to her.

"I could be next, for all we know!" she continued. An older man entered the kitchen, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. Or rather, Nanako's one-woman conversation.

"It said 'children', Nanako. I'm pretty sure you're out of the young adult division." Nanjirou scoffed at his niece.

"Oh! That is so... rude!" the girl is obviously offended and blushed a tint of red on her cheeks.

The two bickered about everything including certain magazines Nanjirou is trying to hide from everyone in this house. Ryoma stood up and got ready to leave the scene as he didn't want to hear anymore nonsense this morning.

Naturally, he wouldn't believe such news and he is no doubt safe from it if it was true. First, he is skilled with hurting a dozen men with only a tennis ball and a racket. Second, according to the news, they're only after girls. Why is that, anyway? He immediately disregarded all his thoughts about them in his mind and stepped out of the house.

On the way to school, Ryoma had nothing more in his mind than tennis. He decided he would beat the hell out of Momoshiro in today's practice, grab a sweet, cold can of Ponta, then sleep all the way through classes. He was caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice a hand about to grab his shoulder from behind.

"Ryoma-kun?" turns out, that hand belonged to his ever shy classmate/cheerleader, Ryuzaki Sakuno. Apparently, she walks this path going to school, too. She is as early as the tennis club's practice hour because she always watches the team practice, or to be specific, she watches Ryoma play, and inspires herself to do better on the sport.

Ryoma turned around and saw the girl smiled a bit then fiddled on her bag.

"Oh, it's you." He greeted.

"Ah, good morning! Shall we walk together? I-If you don't mind." Sakuno panicked as she couldn't decide how to talk to Ryoma, her ultimate crush, without stuttering and fidgeting in front of him. She's still not used to being friendly with the boy, after spending time together almost everyday for tennis lessons.

"Why not." Ryoma replied. Then they walked side by side going to school. Now even though Ryoma is the snobbish type, especially to girls, he grew comfortable being and talking with Sakuno. She had been supporting him ever since and they had become friends, much to the team's, and that loud mouth Tomoka's delight. He developed this comfortability of talking to the girl about other things beside tennis. Like, the annoying toothpaste commercial, the pen he once kept on the pocket of his pants and its ink messed with his pants all day. And it was red, he looked like a girl on her monthly period. Now that always made Sakuno giggle.

As they walk closer to the campus, many students have walked past them, some they know and threw them knowing smiles and greetings, some rode their bikes and many more.

"It's nice to know there are many students who walk together... I think it's safer this way." Sakuno, realizing that she said this confidently, quickly covered her mouth, and looked at Ryoma, hoping he doesn't care. She thought Ryoma might think that she always wants them to walk together. The boy just nodded in agreement, making Sakuno smile a bit. There are perks of him being a dense boy. You can say things to him but he won't really take it seriously or think about it much.

"So you heard the news, too." Ryoma said.

"Ah, yes, this morning. Knowing they are targeting girls is more threatening for me. I can't be at ease..." Sakuno confessed, looking down on her shoes.

" _Mada mada dane_."

"T-That's not an appropriate response, Ryoma-kun..."

"They're probably far from here. Besides, there's your annoy - your friend who can keep you company." Ryoma reassured Sakuno. She smiled, Ryoma smirked and pulled down the bill of his cap to hide his face.

"Come on." He continued to walk, getting ahead of Sakuno. The girl followed him closely until they reached the school grounds.

* * *

Practice was the usual. Flying balls here and there, the first years minus Ryoma remained on the sidelines ready to pick up balls, while the regulars demonstrate and further improve their signature moves. It went by smoothly, then it was time for classes. Everyone changed out of their practice clothes and into their school uniforms to attend their respective classes.

"Sakuno! I'm sorry, I can't go home with you. I need to take supplementary exams later. If I don't, there's not a future I will look forward to!" Tomoka, Sakuno's best friend and the president of Ryoma's fan club, approached her. Apparently, Tomoka failed her math class and needed extra classes to make it through the year.

Sakuno's face dropped. No, she wasn't mad at Tomoka. She was worried that her best friend would flunk her test and they couldn't graduate together. But it's always been like that. Sometimes, Sakuno would take extra classes for English, too.

"It's okay, Tomoka. I'll be fine. I mean, grandma can't leave the team early today but I can go right now." Sakuno said as she smiled. Tomoka thanked her then went on her way to class.

As for Sakuno, she didn't mean what she said a while ago. She's as scared as a lost kitten now that she has no choice but to go home alone considering there's a kidnapper on the loose! Her grandma suggested she stay and wait for their practice to finish but Sakuno has lots of work to do back home. There's cleaning, cooking, and homework. She had to decline.

So, Sakuno took a deep breath and went to find her grandma at the tennis courts to say goodbye. There she instantly spotted Sumire, the coach of the tennis team, gathering the regulars for a meeting before practice starts. It was now close to five in the afternoon and Sakuno really needed to go home to get started on her chores. She waited until the meeting is over then approached Sumire.

"Grandma, I'll go ahead now." she opened the court's door a little. Sumire turned around and walked toward Sakuno.

"Sakuno, I'm sorry, with the competition starting soon, I am very busy organizing the team and as the captain always says, 'don't let your guard down". Haha.." she chuckled. Sakuno giggled.

"It's okay, grandma. I'll be fine. I got my emergency whistle with me." she pulled out a red whistle and Sumire gave her a thumbs up sign. As Sakuno walked out of the courts, a certain young boy noticed her leave, but unfortunately what he didn't notice was a tennis ball about to hit him in the face. Boom.

"Echizen! Are you okay?!" Momoshiro ran towards the boy and he helped him stand up. Ryoma frowned at the second year. 'Sure, a thing like this would be very funny for those who doesn't experience much triumph in tennis', Ryoma thought while waiting for Momoshiro to stop laughing.

"Ryoma, focus! Where are you even looking? Momo, shut up!" Sumire shouted from the bleachers as she writes some things in a paper. The two boys continued their match but Ryoma couldn't help but worry about his classmate/friend/cheerleader, Sakuno, whom he had just recently been talking to comfortably.

* * *

As Sakuno took vigilant steps on a silent and deserted street, her heart pounded like crazy. She wore her whistle like a necklace and clutched it tightly by her hands. The sun is slowly setting and soon, she would be walking home in the dark. To entertain herself, she thought of singing one of her favorite songs on the radio.

 _Everybody's got a thing_

 _But some don't know how to handle it_

 _Always reachin' out in vain_

 _Accepting the things not worth having but-_

Sakuno stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. She slowly turned around to check who it was, but there was no one behind. She shrugged and continued to walk. By this time, the sun had completely disappeared and replaced by the bright moon. As she admired the moon, she smiled and continued to sing.

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama_

 _'Cause I'll be standing on the side_

 _When you check it-_

Footsteps.

Now Sakuno was sure someone is following her. She didn't turn around, but at the corner of her eyes she grasped a silhouette of a man, a tall man, emerging from a street light pole. Now, Sakuno would definitely choose to blow her whistle if she hadn't thought that maybe this person was not following her, just taking the same path like her. That's how considerate she is. As she tries to get ahead of the stranger, the man also walked faster to catch up. Then Sakuno caught sight of a sharp shadow coming out of the person's side. Now she was sure that was a knife! She ran as fast as she could but the footsteps of his pursuer was much faster. Just as a hand grabbed her shoulder, Sakuno was forced to turn around and they both fall down the hard pavement. She had no chance of screaming at all.

To be continued.

* * *

AN: _Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder_


	2. Chapter 2

The stranger, wearing a black hat, black trench coat and sunglasses, is now on top of Sakuno, trying to cover her face with a handkerchief that was probably soaked in chloroform to knock her out. Sakuno kept struggling, not having a single chance to at least get a hold of her whistle. Tears began to flow on the side of her face as she tries to call for help but the person already succeeded in covering her face, not allowing her to breathe.

 _I can't believe it. I am about to be kidnapped. I can't move! Is this guy one of those white van kidnappers?! Help! Anyone!_

The stranger had pinned her limbs down by his own legs, she had no choice but to pound on the cold, hard road, trying not to breathe the drug.

 _There's no hope. I can breathe this drug or not to inhale it. Either way, I'll die. No one to save me. There's no one in this street, no police, no anyone... Everyone is still in school! I-I can't move..._

She slowly loses her energy.

 _Help... Ryoma-kun..._

Someone grabbed the stranger and pulled him away from her. Before Sakuno could lose her consciousness, she noticed the weight of the man on top of her was gone, she slowly opened her eyes and immediately recognized her savior.

"Ryoma-kun!" she gasped. The boy, despite his small built, have managed to tackle down the attacker and he tries to choke him while the man had the same idea. Sakuno ran to help Ryoma but she couldn't properly focus her sight because of the drug, she did pick up Ryoma's cap that fell from his head earlier. The darkness had concealed both of their faces but Sakuno can clearly see who's winning this fight. The stranger landed a couple of punches on Ryoma's stomach, but is surprised that the boy endured the pain, still pinning him down.

"You gotta do better than that!" he spit a bit of blood and smirked. The stranger's eyes widened as he saw the fire in Ryoma's eyes.

"Son of a-" frustration can be clearly seen on the man's face as he struggled to land another attack on Ryoma. Just then, a flash of light showered the scene, making them stop moving as a white van pulled over.

Sakuno shielded her eyes as the van is right in front of her. Two other men wearing black came out of the vehicle and each pulled out a handgun. As the first man walked in front of them and pointed the gun to Ryoma's head, the man who attacked Sakuno earlier had shuffled at the back of the newcomers. The other man pointed his gun to Sakuno's head, making her froze on her position.

"What the hell, Jason? You're having a hard time with this little guy? Reggie, remind me to demote this idiot rookie when we get to the lake," the first man spoke in a deep voice. His smile revealed a gold tooth in front, and he had a mole on his chin, like a typical gang leader, Sakuno noted. The said man attempted to cock his gun, however, a police siren began alarming.

"Come on, let's go! Take the kid!" the second man yelled before running back to the van, abandoning Sakuno. The pursuer, known as Jason, grabbed Ryoma's arm and dragged him into the car. Meanwhile, Sakuno couldn't move a muscle as she tried to comprehend what was going on. The more the siren grew closer to their location, the more that her mind went blank.

"Ryuzaki, run!" the man covered Ryoma's face with the same handkerchief he used on Sakuno before shoving him into the vehicle and drove away.

She thought she heard Ryoma say something but it was all a blur. She could not believe she was almost kidnapped. But the more impossible thing was, Ryoma is being taken away by some bad guys and she couldn't do anything to protect him. What can a 12 year old girl do at a time like this anyway?

Meanwhile, a police car arrived. The car doors opened and two police officers came out to check on her. Sakuno snapped out of her thoughts and watched the two men approach her.

"Miss, are you alright?" the first policeman asked Sakuno while the second man offered his hand to help Sakuno stand up. She read the policemen's patches.

 _Takagi and Shiro._

"Why are you sitting on the ground? What happened here?" the first policeman, Officer Takagi, asked as he observed their surroundings. He was tall, skin is pale, and has a beard covering his chin. He pointed on Sakuno's messed up hair and a scratch on her knee.

"We were patrolling around this area and I thought I saw a white car here." Officer Shiro said. He was a short and chubby guy and is wearing glasses. Sakuno tightly gripped Ryoma's cap that she was holding and began to cry.

"Officer, help me... my friend... my friend was kidnapped by three men riding on a white van! White Van Gang! You have to save him!" she hugged the cap in her chest as she fell to her knees, weeping. The two officers looked at each other then Officer Shiro returned to their car to report the incident through the walkie talkie while Officer Takagi helped Sakuno walk to their vehicle.

* * *

The police brought her in their headquarters. Sumire and the others were eventually contacted to come for Sakuno and to tell them what happened.

"Sakuno, are you okay?! What did they do to you?" the old woman asked her granddaughter while she hugged her tightly. Tomoka also came when she learned what happened to her best friend. The regulars came, too, after hearing about it. But they were all shocked when Takagi reported to them that Sakuno was almost kidnapped by the gang but a boy named Ryoma saved her, but he was the one taken instead.

"I knew it! I knew he was on to something! I noticed him looking uneasy after you left, Sakuno." Momoshiro said while rubbing his arms, hoping to get rid of the goosebumps.

"That's why he cut practice?" Oishi asked, facing Tezuka. The captain rubbed his temples, not saying anything. We all know what he's thinking right now.

 _Echizen, you let your guard down._

"Sakuno-chan, are you okay?! Thank goodness!" Eiji pulled out a white blanket and put it around Sakuno's shoulders and walked over to Tezuka and Oishi. Meanwhile, Momoshiro and Kaidoh both looked angry, they dislike bad guys so much, especially when their team is being messed with.

"Excuse me, officer. Do we have any lead on where they've taken our friend?" Fuji asked Takagi, his eyes opened. All of them went silent. Officer Takagi, flipped on the pages of his notes while Officer Shiro wiped his glasses and started speaking.

"We have one clue according to Sakuno that they might be heading over a lake and also the names of the men but we can't be sure that these are their real names. They are not an ordinary gang. You may have heard about them on the news as a somewhat gang of cannibals because of the ridiculous internal organ-eating scheme. Do they actually _eat_ the hostages' organs? Nobody knows if this is true because as far as we know, cannibalism is a long dead culture.. Er, I don't really believe in those..." he rubbed his nape as he began to feel icky.

"Wait, yesterday on the news, it says a man had witnessed something like this, right? What happened?" Sumire asked while still sitting beside Sakuno as she rubbed her granddaughter's back. Sakuno remained still on her seat as she embraced Ryoma's cap.

"Well, ma'am," Takagi cleared his throat, catching all of their attention, "we can't disclose further information on civilians."

"Why not? We want to know more about this gang so we can save Echizen!" Momoshiro snapped but was held back by Kaidoh.

"Please let us handle this and we assure you that we will get to the bottom of this and save your friend." Officer Shiro said, stepping back from Momoshiro's sudden outburst.

"Calm down, idiot." Momo was about to say something to Kaidoh but realized it isn't going to help with anything so both of them returned to their seats but the two remained tense. Suddenly, Inui returned inside the interrogation room where everybody is.

"I just called Echizen's parents. They're on their way right now. Officer, I think all of us has the right to know everything about this incident or any other things that might help us in learning Echizen's whereabouts. We can't waste any time because if everything about this gang is true, Echizen might be... dead." Inui explained, making everyone nervous. Upon hearing this, Sumire gasped.

"It's all my fault! I should be the one there, not him!" Sakuno burst into tears.

"Inui, what an insensitive thing to say..." Oishi said, holding a crying Eiji.

"Oh, sorry!" Inui backed off and sat silently beside Kawamura at the back of the room.

"Calm down, Sakuno. It's not your fault. I promise you, we will do everything to bring Echizen back, okay?" Sumire said to comfort Sakuno a little.

"I'm sorry, Sakuno. I should've gone home with you but I didn't." Tomoka hugged her and also cried silently.

"Ryoma-kun has always helped me when I'm in need, and yet I put him in danger. I can't even do anything for him!" she covered her face as she cried loudly. Ryoma's cap rested on her lap, completely wrinkled.

"Sakuno-chan, don't blame yourself. No one wanted this to happen." Fuji told her. "Besides, Echizen is a tough kid, he can outsmart the kidnappers or maybe leave us some hints to wherever they went."

"Let's hope for the best." Tezuka reassured everyone, although he also couldn't pretend not to worry at a time like this.

Soon, Ryoma's parents came and joined the meeting. His mother, Rinko, couldn't help but cry and hugged Nanako, Ryoma's cousin, hoping to keep her wobbling legs from falling. Nanjirou, Ryoma's father, sat silently in front of everyone while he listened to Officer Takagi's explanation. Not a word was spoken, only his eyebrow was moving until Takagi finished talking. His eyes is like a tiger's gaze and if that gaze had super laser, the table in front of him would be broken to pieces.

"How are we going to get my son back!?" Rinko was the first to speak as everyone dared not to say a word. Sumire and the others undeniably felt guilty for what happened to Ryoma, especially Sakuno, for letting him be taken by bad guys. She wanted to apologize to Ryoma's parents but she was afraid to even lay her eyes on theirs.

"Ma'am, we will handle this, okay? We will make sure to contact you if we find any leads on this case. I suggest you all go home and call it a night." Officer Takagi offered them a warm smile before he opened the door for them, but to his surprise, no one moved a muscle. Instead, all eyes were on Ryoma's grieving mother. Her cries tugged Takagi's heart and it hurts. He thought if this was his mother, would he have let a police just brush her off without at least giving her hope to find her son?

Takagi looked at Shiro then he closed the door.

"Alright, I'll tell you what happened to Yuki, the victim the witness was talking about yesterday."

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of engine filled his ears, the smell of cigarette roamed around his nose, and his skin felt the leather he was lying on.

His eyes shot open.

 _Where am I?_

He used his elbow to support his body as he slowly got up and revealed that he was at the back of a moving car. The windows are tinted, he can see three men dressed in black clothing occupying the drivers', passengers' and the first row's seat. He could hear them talking about food. Oh, he was getting hungry just by listening to them.

 _Ah, I was kidnapped. And those guys are the kidnappers, the White Van Gang, obviously. But why the black clothes? That is so stereotype. I wonder how long I was out_. Wait, wh _y did they take me, a boy, instead of Ryuzaki, anyway? That's puzzling._

So many unanswered questions circled around Ryoma's head that it made him feel dizzy. He silently moved closer to the second row to hide behind its chairs and took a good look at the kidnappers' faces. The one on the first row, he recalled that that was the one who attacked Sakuno, he couldn't see the other one on the passenger's seat but he could clearly see the driver's nape, which has a small tattoo of a centipede. Ryoma returned to where he was lying on a while ago. He rubbed his head, noticing that he's missing his hat.

 _This is getting worse. Where are they taking me, anyway?_

Suddenly, Ryoma heard someone moan on the second row's chair. He suspected that this is another kid that was kidnapped, or maybe another member of the kidnappers. He slowly took a peek while being careful not to make a sound. He saw a girl around his age, with blonde, straight hair, and is still wearing his school uniform but she was missing her left shoe. Ryoma could guess this kid's family is rich judging by her uniform probably from a prestigious school, maybe a foreigner.

Just as he decided to sit back down, the girl opened her eyes and gasped. Ryoma got alarmed and checked on the kidnappers if they noticed the girl wake up, and good thing they didn't because they were busy talking about food and the radio was rather loud.

 _That was close!_

He sighed in relief. The last thing he wants is to be put back to sleep with that horrible smelling drug and not be able to observe their whereabouts. He saw the girl roam her eyes around the car and when she realized that she was kidnapped and was about to panic and scream, Ryoma's reflexes were quick, he covered the girl's mouth with his hand to keep her from making unhelpful noises. The girl was surprised to see a kid staring down at her, and covering her mouth with his rather big hand. She watched Ryoma put the index finger of his other hand to his mouth and gestured for her to _keep quiet_. She nodded as Ryoma slowly removed his hand from covering her mouth and helped her sit up.

"Come over here quietly." he whispered to the girl. Good thing, the three kidnappers were preoccupied enough not to notice them transfer to the back of the van.

"Who are you?" the girl asked after they both settled on the back row's seat. Ryoma noticed she had a weird accent.

"Ryoma. Your name?" he asked back. The girl wiped her tears away and extended her right hand to Ryoma, gesturing for a hand shake.

"I am Maggie. Nice to meet you." he stared at her hand which is full of blisters and dirt. He could almost imagine how she was abducted and how much she resisted. Maggie, realizing that Ryoma is not going to shake her hand any moment now, decided not to get too close to a stranger. That was what her parents taught her, and probably what this kid's parents had taught him, too.

"When did they take you?" Ryoma asked while he looked around the vehicle then peeked on the windows to try to recognize the path they're taking.

"I was walking alone after school and next thing I knew, a man was pulling on my school bag. I thought I was being robbed so I decided to just let him take it but when I tried to run away, he punched me in the stomach and next thing I knew, I woke up in this car." Maggie explained while she kept wiping away tears that streams down her cheeks. She noticed Ryoma was not paying much attention to what she's saying and thought that they're not gonna get along very well. Ryoma sat back down and looked at Maggie.

"Hey, stop making too much noise." he said while checking on the kidnappers.

"I can't help it!" Maggie hugged her knees to her chest and hid her face.

"Would you rather they are the ones to keep you quiet?" Ryoma put both of his arms at the back of his head and reclined a bit on his seat. They both watched the three kidnappers chat with each other about something as they drove to who knows where.

"N-No... but, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna get out of here? I want to go home..." Maggie whined as more tears began forming in her eyes.

 _This girl cries a lot. Reminds me of Ryuzaki. Good thing she wasn't the one taken or else, both of them are just gonna cry instead of thinking of ways to escape._

Ryoma sighed and looked at the left window next to him. From what he could see outside, they seem to pass through a lot of trees and by the side of the road, there's a barrier which separates it from a big, long river. On the other side rested a tall mountain, but Ryoma has no idea what mountain it is or where this is and if he does, there's no way to contact home. He wished he listened to Geography class more, he didn't realized how helpful it was to be able to recognize these mountains or lakes to their advantage. Damn.

He turned to look at Maggie but what he saw immediately gave him hope.

"You have a cellphone!?" he almost said that aloud, good thing it was Maggie's turn to cover his mouth. He pointed at her phone.

"Oh, yes, I was trying to call home but the line is busy." she whispered. Ryoma grabbed her phone and browsed through it. He saw that it was already five in the morning. Ryoma wondered if these kidnappers are only going to take two hostages for the day or are they hunting for more?

 _It's already daylight, though. I assume they're only taking children at night._

"What do you think you're doing?" Maggie felt a little annoyed at him. That phone contains many of her private stuff and it's just plain wrong for someone to just take it without permission. She swore this kid has a lot of nerve. Would this day ever get worse?

"I've never had one of these before." she heard Ryoma commented while he continuously taps on the screen. Maggie rolled her eyes and turned her attention on the window instead. Meanwhile, Ryoma tried to dial several phone numbers including the police hotline, their home phone number and his teammates' numbers even though the signal is very weak, hoping that someone would at least pick up. At the same time, he took the time to think about their possible location.

 _Okay, according to that ridiculous story, they eat their prey's internal organs. Sheesh, I never knew cannibals still exist. Anyway, that means wherever we're going, that's where they're going to eat us. Are they gonna cook us first? Whatever. I must find a way on how to let the police, or anyone, know our location._

All of a sudden, the car took a right turn and drove up to a hill. Ryoma and Maggie bumped into each other as the car shook and tilted from the big rocks they were passing through. But of course, no matter how stupid this rookie Jason is, he would surely notice that their two hostages are now wide awake and is hiding on the back row.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing back there?" he stepped onto the chairs until he could reach Maggie's arms and pulled her.

"Ow! Let go of me! Help!" she shrieked as she pulled on Ryoma's right hand, making him drop the phone and it toppled away under the chair.

"Come here, you little shit!" as the car went further up to the hill, Jason kept pulling Maggie away from Ryoma but the girl had quite the grip on him. Now they look like they're playing tag of war, only Maggie is the one pulling Ryoma.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Ryoma thought his hand is going to be torn apart from his arms anytime soon. He bent down and using his other hand, Ryoma searched for the phone but the bumpy road kept shaking the whole car which makes it hard for anyone of them to even say another word.

* * *

As they were finally on top of the hill, the driver hit the brakes and the three at the back had dropped on the car's floor like coins that fell on the ground. The driver turned off the engine and went out of the vehicle. The man on the passenger's seat known as Reggie, turned around and faced them.

"We're gonna have to walk from here!" he smiled, revealing his face. He sort of looks like an Indian but his Japanese accent is impressive.

"Let's go, you brats!" Jason grabbed Maggie again while she was still holding Ryoma's right hand and they all went out of the car to follow the others.

In front of them is a forest with lots of tall trees surrounding it. The long river that Ryoma saw earlier had continued into the forest. As the driver led the way, Reggie and Jason walked beside him, while Maggie and Ryoma followed behind. Jason tied Maggie and Ryoma's arms with a thick rope and linked it to his waist, preventing them to run away if they ever get a chance.

Taking cautious steps, Maggie squeezed Ryoma's hand every time she hears rustles on the bushes, and flying bats in the sky.

"Are you gonna let go of my hand anytime soon?" he asked nonchalantly.

"No, I won't let go. I'm scared and dirty and I'm hungry! I think I'm gonna lose my mind! Shut up, please!" she stomped angrily on a tree branch.

"Okay... sheesh."

 _Damn, she's more irritating than Ryuzaki's loud mouth friend._

Ryoma looked up and noticed that the sun is about to set. Their surroundings are beginning to get dark, making it harder to see where they're walking on. Ryoma observed the three men, they didn't look like they're having trouble seeing in the dark as they continuously walk without looking down.

"Ow..." he felt Maggie squeeze his hand lightly as she take small steps beside him.

"What?" he whispered but the girl didn't answer. Ryoma looked down and saw that Maggie's left foot is getting caught with the branches and it already has blood. Ryoma remembered she lost her left shoe that's why she kept tugging into my arm for support. He sighed. One good thing his father thought him was to never deny a woman in need, especially when she's pretty. But Ryoma couldn't care less about that other thing.

He stopped abruptly, the rope tied on Jason's waist was tugged and he turned around.

"Hey, what are you doing? Keep walking!" he said as he gave the two a glare. He watched as Ryoma let go of Maggie's hand as he removed both of his sneakers and handed it to Maggie.

"W-What is this?" she asked.

If this wasn't a life threatening situation, Ryoma would be sarcastic and answer the obvious of what is the object he's holding just to piss off the girl. But he'll let it go this time.

 _Sigh..._

"Wear this." he finally answered. Jason walked closer to them and put his arms on his hips.

"We're falling behind! What are you two doing!?" he stomped his feet to show impatience. He looked around and saw that the leader and Reggie was gone. Jason panicked as he rubbed his temples.

"They left us behind! I don't even remember how to get there because I'm new to this organization and it's your fault if we get lost!" he exclaimed as he panted vigorously. Ryoma blinked at Jason's sudden outburst then shoved his sneakers on Maggie's arms, forcing her to hold it.

"What about you?" she asked but Ryoma only ignored her as he started to talk to Jason.

Looking down at her feet, Maggie contemplated how thoughtful Ryoma actually is despite his rude behavior earlier. She smiled as she decided to wear it even though she's worried about Ryoma now.

"Hey, you're Jason, right?" he tried to make small talk with the man, hoping to get some information about them, noticing that Jason is quite vulnerable not like the other two. Seeing as Maggie finished putting on his shoes, he shoved Jason forward to imply that they were ready to walk again, ignoring the small pebbles pinning on his bare feet. Maggie, whose arm is still tied to Ryoma, was forced to move along.

"Shut it and just walk, kid." he answered sternly, not glancing at his companions. He grunted and made sure to put his weight on every step to leave footprints on the way while trying hard to guess which way they're going to.

 _Heh, he's acting tough._

"I just want to ask you some questions." Ryoma put his hand on his shorts pockets. He could tell that it's not going to be hard to get some answers out of this guy.

"Ryoma-san, what are you trying to do?" Maggie whispered behind him while huffing and puffing as she's trying to catch up with them, because the two were walking rather quickly. Ryoma glanced behind him and smirked at Maggie.

"I think I can shake this guy up." he said. Maggie blushed at the realization that Ryoma is good looking as well.

 _Wow, well. What do you know? This isn't so bad at all._

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, Nanjiroh, Rinko, Sumire, and Tezuka stayed behind to cooperate with the police regarding Ryoma's disappearance, and to learn more about the White Van Gang as well. The other regulars made sure Tomoka, Sakuno and Nanako got home safe before they went home themselves. Tezuka reassured them that they will get to the bottom of this and promised to give them updates if anything comes up.

Meanwhile, the four adults sat together in the interrogation room of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters as they all listened to the story Officer Takagi was telling.

"The recent victim of the notorious gang, and the only one who got back half alive, was Yuki Kitagawa, a middle school student at Seihen Academy." he sipped on his cup of Joe as he watched the different reactions of his companions.

Sumire gasped in shock, Rinko covered her mouth with her hand, Nanjiroh held his wife while his other hand rubbed Rinko's back comfortingly, and Tezuka, although no emotions could be physically present, he still felt worry for the youngest tennis member, especially if this myth is actually true, Ryoma could be facing a painful future ahead of him, or if he could ever live to see that future. He swallowed hard and decided to confirm if what they had heard was right.

"Half alive, officer? Can you elaborate?" he said. Takagi shifted his position on the sofa and rested his elbows on his legs while his hands were entwined together.

"Judging from all the bruises and blood accumulating on every part of her body, well, not every part because her arms were missing, you can easily tell that she was on the brink of death. The night when a concerned citizen brought her over at a hospital, she was already dead. We still don't know how she managed to return, though. It's baffling." he stated.

Silence filled the room as Officer Shiro entered, carrying a tray of six coffees and some cookies. He placed it on the center table and sat beside Takagi on the sofa.

Nanjiroh, after being silent the whole time after he found out that Ryoma has been taken, finally spoke.

"What do you think these sick bastards are, and where are they taking my son?" he asked the officers with a stern voice, his eyes narrowed and focused on the coffee mug he's holding. Rinko put a hand on his shoulder for empathy and he turned to look at his wife with the same expression.

"The citizen who discovered Yuki's body that night had later told us that while he was rushing her body to the hospital, Yuki told him what happened. The next day, that man came to us and told us her story." he said. All eyes focused on him as he finished his coffee.

* * *

"We're officially lost." the tall, slender man said. The three of them have been walking like forever but none of the pathways led them to their destination. The two kids behind him practically dragged their tired feet as they perspire tremendously. The sun's hot rays shining directly above them like swords of fire piercing through their skin was not helping.

Ryoma would say something to the man as he avoid stepping on the small rocks on their way. Maggie just walked alongside the boy, while she would tighten her grip on Ryoma's hand as a form of support whenever he strive to keep his balance due to the pain of being barefoot was causing him.

"How long have you been a member of your gang, anyway?" he tried to obtain as much relevant information out of Jason as possible, even if it meant making him uncharacteristically talkative at the time. For the umpteenth time, Jason grimaced at him. The two kids could see that he was obviously frustrated at his current responsibility.

 _Patience, Jason. The master needs these two... patience._ He thought and heaved a sigh.

"Will you just shut your mouth?" he calmly told Ryoma without glancing at him. The boy was annoyed. One thing Ryoma disliked was being told to shut up because he was usually the one to say that, to boost his superiority. Saying that to his face only added fuel to his irritation.

 _Patience, Ryoma. I need to budge this guy... patience._ He thought. Thinking of other things to ask without being disregarded, he kept his mouth shut. Once again, the silence only made the situation worse. Ryoma fanned himself with his shirt sticking onto his body with the excessive sweat that was developing because of the weather. Maggie's free hand made its way into her pocket and clutched a handkerchief. Her eyes darted to its side, checking out Ryoma and his stature. He was not as tall as the boys in her school, just average height for a kid. She would say his height was that of an elementary kid. If they were on the same age and got together, it would be weird because she was much taller than Ryoma.

 _Wait, is that abs? He must be a body builder in their school, or an athlete, maybe he swims?_

She blushed and pulled out the cloth on her hand.

"Here, use it." she said. Ryoma inspected the handkerchief being held in front of him. It was pink, with floral embroidery on the side. He judged it was definitely expensive, the kind that most rich students own. He thought of the gesture. Maggie is slightly less annoying than Ryuzaki's loud friend but is not as quiet as Ryuzaki, herself. She was in between. Still, he accepted the handkerchief. Maggie smiled.

"Thanks." he wiped his face with it and handed it back to the girl. Maggie frowned. She tossed the soaked, dirty cloth behind and continued to walk.

"Jason, is it?" Ryoma tried again. This time, Jason looked behind him over his shoulder. Maggie just listened and observed Ryoma's tactics, because the boy had explained his plans earlier and she was fascinated by interrogating Jason, but she can't interfere, she doesn't know what questions to ask, though.

"What is it this time, kid?" he answered.

"You're not a bad guy. I can tell." he avoided another spiky rock before looking back up on the man who was snickering.

"Oh, what, you're like a psychic or something?" Ryoma smirked.

"You think I didn't see the insects that you avoided to step on? As far as I know, that's kindness in your eyes." cheap shot, Ryoma thought.

For a moment, Jason stopped. The two kids studied his back while he scratched his head, wondering which way they would go. But then he started walking again.

"Not all villains kill everything, you know." Jason stated. He felt a bit of blush creeping up on his face. The truth is, he had a soft spot for nature. Ever since he was a child, he would always feed the animals and make shelter for insects on their backyard. He just couldn't help but love all the creatures, and not just them, actually. He suddenly thought about his mom, his dad, and his friends. He cared for them but all of them were gone now, because of him.

He winced at the painful memory.

"What a waste, though, because I accidentally stepped on all of them."

His eyes widened and turned around to the face of the merciless kid who had just claimed that he murdered all the harmless creatures he had been careful not to squash.

"Y-You did?!" he watched Ryoma nodded slowly as he fumed in anger. Maggie hid behind Ryoma's back as Jason strode past them.

"Why?! What did they ever do to you? Haven't you learned anything in school?" he frantically made his way back to the path they had taken and searched for the insects that have probably been squeezed flat on the ground, but saw nothing. He was confused.

"Just kidding!" he heard Ryoma said behind him. He turned and saw the boy standing with his toothy grin while his foot was raised, revealing the dirty sole of his foot with mud, but no blood or flattened insect sticking to it. Maggie was gaping. One reason is because of the shameless joke Ryoma had pulled, second was the horrified face of Jason. She didn't know what reaction to expect from Jason. He would probably kill us right here, right now, she thought.

For a moment, Jason stared at Ryoma. He couldn't decide whether to strangle the boy or just ignore him. He was absolutely aware that he was taunting him, but he also admitted that he was dead worried about those innocent insects. He could feel hot tears threathening to fall from his eyes but he kept his cool. Instead, he weakly sat down on the dirt and rubbed his temples.

"Hey... you alright?" he heard Ryoma ask and the sound of their footsteps getting closer. His head was pounding, like it was being squeezed hard.

"Mister..." this time it was the girl who spoke. But he didn't care, his whole body quivered. All of the painful memories came back into his head, being jammed, almost heaping. He hammered his head with his fists in the hopes of the throbbing to stop.

"J-Jason, stop!" but he didn't listen. His eyes frantically searched for something hard to smash his head on, the ground, a tree, a tree...

"Tree!" he exclaimed before shuffling over the nearest Pine tree he saw. Ryoma and Maggie watched in horror as the man panicked and finally stepped in front of the tree and violently rammed his head, each time a loud thud could be heard around the forest and birds nesting above the trees were flying away. Maggie clutched Ryoma's shirt and began to break into tears.

"Ryoma, make him stop!" Maggie sobbed uncontrollably and sank on her knees. Ryoma's heart throbbed loudly. He knew something had triggered Jason, something he did. Damn, it's his fault if he died here. He let go of Maggie's hand and untangled himself off the rope and ran towards the man who had lost control over himself. Blood oozed down from his forehead as he continuously tried to break his head in half.

"Shit." Ryoma stared in horror at the almost half dead man in front of him as he tried to focus and think of a way to calm him down. Finally, he covered Jason's bloody forehead with his hands, making them the new target for the rough tree banging. He winced in pain as his hands began to gain scratches.

"Jason, stop!" he ordered but the man wasn't listening, or he just simply couldn't hear him anymore. Ryoma positioned his foot on the tree trunk and used it to pull Jason away from it. A little more strength was required to do so, for he was just a kid and years of playing tennis was not enough to stop a suicide by himself.

He looked at the crying girl behind them. He was about to call her over but he could not recall her name.

 _What was her name? I know it starts with 'M' but what?!_

"Hey, you! Help me!" he settled for the most informal form of addressing that he knew.

Maggie stood up abruptly and hurried to Ryoma's side. She roamed her eyes to the two's situation and assessed it.

"W-What do I do?!" she asked in a shaky voice. Ryoma flinched once again as Jason continued bumping his own head, covered by Ryoma's hands, on the tree trunk. He bit his lower lip and faced Maggie.

"Grab his arms and we'll pull him together." Maggie complied at once. And soon, they had successfully stopped Jason's episode. The man laid there unconsciously, on his side were Maggie and Ryoma, who were panting, trying to catch their breaths.

"R-Ryoma... I think you killed him." she glanced at the man lying in his own blood. Ryoma smirked.

"He's just sleeping. Good thing we stopped him soon, or the damage on his head would be fatal. Look, his hearbeat is stable." he said.

"What? Look at his head. He's literally sleeping on a pool of blood." Maggie insisted.

"Don't exaggerate." he scoffed.

Maggie was taken aback by Ryoma's confidence. "Alright, Mr. Doctor!"

* * *

After they had applied a bit of first aid on Jason (cleaning his wound with river water, bandaging him with Maggie's uniform's sleeves), it was already sunset and they decided to set up for camp.

Ryoma covered the sleeping Jason so he wouldn't get cold. Good thing the man was wearing a leather coat. Then he checked for his pockets to find anything to light a fire. Instead, he found a pill bottle.

"What's this for?" he murmured. He shrugged and kept it on his own pocket.

"It's getting dark... and cold." Maggie whined as she hugged herself warily. Being alone with two guys can really be alarming, especially at night. Ryoma sighed and collected some nearby tree branches scattered on the ground. He ignored the girl once more. If she helped him fix Jason and gather some firewoods or anything that can light a fire with, then she wouldn't be so cold.

It was truly a pain in the ass being with a girl, Ryoma noted. This has always happened whenever he was with Ryuzaki, but it's a different kind of annoying with her. During Sundays on their weekly tennis lessons at the park, Wobbly Hips would always stutter when she wanted to tell him something that he had a hard time comprehending. Result? No mutual understanding. Then her elbows are too bent, her knees buckling whenever I point out to keep her eyes on the ball, and her hair. God.. need I say more? The one important rule for girls who wants to make a career out of sports? Cut your hair!

But he had to admit, Ryuzaki Sakuno had improved a lot lately. Ryoma felt like she had started to actually listen to him, not just hearing what he's saying. She have been applying all of his teachings and now, they can even play an almost even match against each other. And she can manage to play tennis with her long hair. Not bad, Ryuzaki.

 _I'm glad my lack of sunday naps and efforts were not in vain and was put into good use._ He smiled, suddenly missing his home, his friends, and the girl. He can't wait until he gets home.

After an hour of rubbing the sticks together to create friction and heat, Ryoma had successfully lit a fire. Maggie was amused, she had seen enough to prove that Ryoma is indeed a dream guy every girl would want. He's strong, smart, competent, able to turn situations to his advantage, very proficient in survival, really, the list goes on and it's just their first day together.

Sitting across from the boy, Maggie cradled her chin on her bent knees as she admired Ryoma's facial features. The fire flickered through his sharp cat-like eyes as he watched the fire turn the woods into ashes, his thin lips pursed together, and his dark green hair ruffled by the wind. She was thankful that it was him that has been taken and not another girl. She used this peaceful opportunity to start a conversation with the boy.

"So, what will happen now?" she asked. Ryoma looked up at her.

"Wait until he wakes up." he sets his attention back at the fire. The smoke rose above their heads, driving away mosquitoes that threatened to consume their blood and probably transmit deadly disease.

"And then what? What if he kills us?" Maggie tightened her embrace on her own knees as she waited for Ryoma to asnwer. She saw him flash a smirk, the light the fire provided made his eyes glimmer in this dark and silent night. Maggie could not resist the blush she felt and tried to hide it by sunking her head onto her knees so that only her eyes would be seen, still not leaving Ryoma's face.

"He can't even hurt a fly. I told you I'd shake him." he boasted.

"You shook him way too hard he might be dead in the morning." she glanced at the sleeping figure beside the fire. They both watched his chest go up and down, reassuring them that Jason was still alive.

"See?"

Maggie sighed in defeat. She had grasped the nature Ryoma had since they met. He is too conceited, impulsive, and self-assured. Not that she's complaining. It's actually the other way around.

"Well, it's either him or us being dead tomorrow."

To be continued.


End file.
